Rob James
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| posted on 8/1/05 at 01:02 PM |
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Cutting steel with angle grinder
hi all...I have seen advertised a bench mounting to convert your angle grinder into a cut off saw for about £15 anyone know where to get one
from....cheers
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Glan Noye
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| posted on 8/1/05 at 01:08 PM |
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Yes I got mine from Screwfix, it can be a little awkward to use as the clamp is only about half an inch high.Still good value and useful though.
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britishtrident
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| posted on 8/1/05 at 04:05 PM |
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I bought one from Lidel for about 6 quid fine for cutting 2mm thick using Bosch 125mm cutting discs --- other cutting discs don't last.
However I found 1.5mm section is best cut with a hacksaw.
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Liam
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| posted on 8/1/05 at 04:49 PM |
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I'll second that. A course pitched hacksaw blade will rip through all your rhs just as quick as a little grinder, and more acurately. Not to
mention nicer on the ears.
Before I started my build the prospect of cutting all that steel by hand seemed daunting, i admit. I considered those angle grinder mounts but
eventually bought a cheapo chopsaw from screwfix. Hardly used it - would have been better off with 100 quid worth of decent quality hacksaw
blades!
Liam
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 8/1/05 at 05:02 PM |
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You really do need decent quality hacksaw blades though. I bought a pack of blades from Machine Mart, and they had lost most of their teeth after
cutting through two or three pieces of 25mm RHS.
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jestre
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| posted on 8/1/05 at 06:54 PM |
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Or you can do as I am. Clamp steel into hardned steel vise and cut with said angle grinder. metal cutoff blades of course
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Peteff
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| posted on 8/1/05 at 08:21 PM |
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Don't bother.
When the blade wears down the grinder hits the clamp or your tube before you get through it. The 9" version would be better or get a proper chop
saw off ebay or Screwfix
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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JoelP
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| posted on 8/1/05 at 08:27 PM |
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i have a bandsaw, i intend to use a hacksaw next time. Not much harder and more accurate.
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Simon
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| posted on 9/1/05 at 12:55 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Liam
I'll second that. A course pitched hacksaw blade will rip through all your rhs just as quick as a little grinder, and more acurately. Not to
mention nicer on the ears.
Before I started my build the prospect of cutting all that steel by hand seemed daunting, i admit. I considered those angle grinder mounts but
eventually bought a cheapo chopsaw from screwfix. Hardly used it - would have been better off with 100 quid worth of decent quality hacksaw
blades!
Liam
And the mess on workspace floor
One hacksaw blade cut all my steel!!! and was still fine afterwards.
ATB
Simon
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kb58
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| posted on 9/1/05 at 02:15 AM |
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I bought one of those cheap horizontal/vertical bandsaws. For what it was it did a great job, no complaints. Of course I still have a hacksaw...
Here's a neat looking tool for cutting tubes, though I've never tried it out.
twin blade cutter
[Edited on 1/9/05 by kb58]
Mid-engine Locost - http://www.midlana.com
And the book - http://www.lulu.com/shop/kurt-bilinski/midlana/paperback/product-21330662.html
Kimini - a tube-frame, carbon shell, Honda Prelude VTEC mid-engine Mini: http://www.kimini.com
And its book -
http://www.lulu.com/shop/kurt-bilinski/kimini-how-to-design-and-build-a-mid-engine-sports-car-from-scratch/paperback/product-4858803.html
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Cita
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| posted on 9/1/05 at 05:44 AM |
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One hacksaw blade cut all my steel!!! and was still fine afterwards.
ATB
Simon
Same for me and i made more than one "wrong cut"
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Rob James
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| posted on 9/1/05 at 02:42 PM |
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Cutting steel with angle grinder
Thanks everyone I think this can be put to bed now, by the way it was not for cutting chassis tube but for 1'' steel bar and lots of it,
cheers anyway....Rob
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kb58
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| posted on 9/1/05 at 05:50 PM |
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For 1" steel bar the horiz/vert bandsaw is perfect. Set it up, turn it on, and it takes care of the rest. Perfect if you're doing lots
of cuts.
Mid-engine Locost - http://www.midlana.com
And the book - http://www.lulu.com/shop/kurt-bilinski/midlana/paperback/product-21330662.html
Kimini - a tube-frame, carbon shell, Honda Prelude VTEC mid-engine Mini: http://www.kimini.com
And its book -
http://www.lulu.com/shop/kurt-bilinski/kimini-how-to-design-and-build-a-mid-engine-sports-car-from-scratch/paperback/product-4858803.html
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AdamR
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| posted on 9/1/05 at 10:44 PM |
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I've cut and tacked 70% of my chassis over the last couple of weeks. Planned to use a cheap grinder stand I got from ebay, but when I tried it
my 115mm grinder was only able to get about two thirds through the 1" section before the grinder body contacted the base of the stand and I
could go no further. Also the 3mm cutting discs I used were too thick to be accurate and wore out fairly quickly. I reckon a decent quality stand with
a 9 inch grinder would be ok though.
I ended up using a hacksaw as others have. I really isn't very hard, but to get accurate cuts it is time consuming. Cutting the steel has been
by far the biggest effort in my build so far. If I was starting again I'd get a cheapish composite mitre saw and adapt an abrasive metal-cutting
disc to use with it.
[Edited on 9/1/05 by AdamR]
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kb58
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| posted on 10/1/05 at 01:54 AM |
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Abrasive cut-off saws make a big mess, getting grit everywhere, throwing sparks, and getting nasty metal/abrasive dust in the air for your breathing
pleasure.
If you were near me I'd sell you my 12" abrasive cut-off saw. I use the bandsaw for everything, and it cost less then the cut-off saw
did.
Mid-engine Locost - http://www.midlana.com
And the book - http://www.lulu.com/shop/kurt-bilinski/midlana/paperback/product-21330662.html
Kimini - a tube-frame, carbon shell, Honda Prelude VTEC mid-engine Mini: http://www.kimini.com
And its book -
http://www.lulu.com/shop/kurt-bilinski/kimini-how-to-design-and-build-a-mid-engine-sports-car-from-scratch/paperback/product-4858803.html
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Damon Hill
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| posted on 10/1/05 at 05:19 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Cita
One hacksaw blade cut all my steel!!! and was still fine afterwards.
ATB
Simon
Same for me and i made more than one "wrong cut"
Hey Simon, can I ask how fix it if you cut it wrong? I've cut some of my
steel at a slight angle - do you use a file to clean it up? My files dont seem up to the job...
[Edited on 10/1/05 by Damon Hill]
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Mix
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| posted on 10/1/05 at 05:26 PM |
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Cheap angle grinder
Runs for cover.
Mick
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James
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| posted on 12/1/05 at 10:12 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Damon Hill
I've cut some of my steel at a slight angle - do you use a file to clean it up? My files dont seem up to the job...
[Edited on 10/1/05 by Damon Hill]
Go get a proper Barstard (sp?) file from a decent tool shop. A decent one will eat through the metal!
HTH,
James
[Edited on 17/1/05 by James]
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craig1410
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| posted on 12/1/05 at 12:46 PM |
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Hacksaw here too despite buying the Screwfix grinder stand. As others have said it just generates noise, dust and sparks and isn't any quicker
than a hacksaw!
Do get good quality hacksaw blades though - I got mine from Jewson's and IIRC they were Spear and Jackson Eclipse blades in a two pack. I think
I used about 6 blades in total and they are all still useable, you just have a habit of deciding to make things 5% easier at time when you are cutting
a lot of sections. It's all in the mind really!
I also used a course file to tidy up the ends and remove the jagged edges before fitting. This allows you to get tighter joints.
I think Blueshift used CAD produced wrap around templates for his build and this is perhaps worth trying out as it will help a lot for the compound
angles. There aren't many of them and you can manage as I did by just marking the metal carefully and cutting even more carefully but the
template idea may well be easier.
Cheers,
Craig.
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